Dakota edges Aquin before final out to take NUIC baseball lead

Was it a hit or an error? Dakota coach Britton Kauffman was only concerned with the result of Drew Truckenmiller’s blooper to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning. “As long as it ends with a W at the end, I don't care,” Kauffman said after Dakota's dramatic 2-1 NUIC baseball win over Aquin Thursday.

By Joey Baskerville

Journal Standard

By Joey Baskerville

Posted Apr. 26, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 26, 2013 at 4:31 PM

By Joey Baskerville

Posted Apr. 26, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 26, 2013 at 4:31 PM

DAKOTA

Was it a hit or an error?

Dakota coach Britton Kauffman was only concerned with the result of Drew Truckenmiller’s blooper to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning.

“As long as it ends with a W at the end,” Kauffman said, “I don’t care.”

Truckenmiller was just pleased to get one more chance to help Dakota win.

“I was just looking for a pitch I could handle,” he said. “I found a hole out there and luckily it fell for us.”

The Indians rallied in the final inning and Truckenmiller’s blooper brought in two runs in a pitcher’s dual between Dakota’s Brandon Lizer and Aquin’s Anthony Townsend. Dakota won 2-1 and handed Aquin its first conference loss.

“That’s about as crazy and as big a win as possible,” Kauffman said.

Both Townsend and Lizer pitched complete games Thursday, with Lizer giving up one run on a bases-loaded walk and Townsend gave up the tying and winning runs, with two outs, on a fly to short right field that Aquin’s (5-2, 3-1 NUIC East) second baseman and right fielder failed to catch.

The ball appeared to hit the second baseman’s glove during or just after colliding with the outfielder, which resulted in the ball being dropped. The official book credited Aquin with an error, which meant Townsend gave up two unearned runs.

Aquin coach Todd Kramer thought the ball should have been caught to end the game.

“That’s a playable ball and you have to make that play,” Kramer said. “Unfortunately, it goes back to the little things and we didn’t do the little things.

“We didn’t make it. To end it like that, that’s pretty bad.”

Both teams were guilty of leaving men stranded on base. Dakota (4-4, 4-0) left seven on base while Aquin stranded 12, including the fifth and seventh innings when the Bulldogs had the bases loaded.

“We don’t deserve to win when we leave as many as we did,” Kramer said. “Especially late in the game, when you have a guy with his pitch count over 100. All he threw was fastballs, we just needed to take it to heart to put one in the infield.”

Lizer was nearly taken out of the game in the seventh when he gave up both a hit and walk to start. An intentional walk loaded the bases with just one out and the senior managed to get out of the inning.

“I went out there and told Lizer one more batter,’ Kauffman said. “He got the kid out on a strikeout and shook his head, and I said one more batter.

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“We must have repeated that three times and he battled. His arm could handle it and he’s a tough kid and won it.”

Lizer fanned eight, while allowing five walks and eight hits and an earned run. Townsend had three strikeouts, walked five, allowed just four hits and two unearned runs.